Compare Riverside Auto Insurance Prices With These Methods

Are you intimidated by the crazy number of auto insurance company choices in Riverside? You have a lot of company. You have so many choices that it can turn into more work than you anticipated to locate the lowest price.

If you have car insurance now, you will be able to lower your premiums substantially using this strategy. This article will help educate you on how to effectively get price quotes and some tips to save money. But Illinois consumers do need to know the way companies sell insurance online and apply this information to your search.

These discounts can lower your rates

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not even be aware of. Certain discounts will be applied when you get a quote, but a few need to be asked for before you will receive the discount.

Claim Free - Drivers with accident-free driving histories can save substantially when compared to drivers who are more careless.
Homeowners Discount - Simply owning a home can save you money because owning a home is proof that your finances are in order.
Air Bag Discount - Cars that have air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can qualify for discounts of more than 20%.
Paperwork-free - Certain companies may give you up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up digitally online.
Multi-car Discount - Buying coverage for more than one vehicle on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
Senior Citizens - If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
Clubs and Organizations - Being a member of a civic or occupational organization may earn a discount when shopping for auto insurance.
Anti-lock Brakes - Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes are safer to drive and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
Distant Student - Youth drivers who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
Drivers Ed for Students - Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to successfully complete driver's ed class in school.

Drivers should understand that some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. Even though it may seem like you can get free auto insurance, companies wouldn't make money that way. But all discounts will reduce the cost of coverage.

How to Lower your Auto Insurance Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that go into determining the rates you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to lower auto insurance prices.

Listed below are a few of the "ingredients" used by your company to calculate prices.

Your occupation can affect rates - Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for auto insurance? Careers like lawyers, social workers and dentists have the highest average rates attributed to stressful work requirements and lengthy work days. Other occupations such as actors, historians and homemakers get better rates.
Do you know your deductibles? - The deductibles define the amount you are willing to pay before your auto insurance pays a claim. Coverage for physical damage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, insures against damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims would be running into the backend of another car, collision with an animal, or theft. The higher the amount you have to pay, the less your auto insurance will be.
Do you know you're credit rating? - Having a bad credit score is a large factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. If your credit score is lower than you'd like, you could potentially save money when insuring your by improving your credit score. People with excellent credit tend to be more responsible as compared to drivers with poor credit.
Being married is a good thing - Having a spouse can actually save you money on auto insurance. Having a significant other translates into being more mature than a single person and it's statistically proven that being married results in fewer claims.
Are you male or female? - Statistics demonstrate women are more cautious behind the wheel. That doesn't necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men are in accidents in similar percentages, but the men cause more damage. Men also statistically get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers are several times more likely to be in an accident and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
Don't sacrifice liability coverage - Liability insurance provides coverage when you are found liable for personal injury or accident damage. Liability provides for a legal defense starting from day one. Liability insurance is quite affordable compared to physical damage coverage, so do not skimp.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Auto insurance providers like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO constantly bombard you with ads on television and other media. They all have a common claim that you'll save big if you switch your coverage to them. How can each company claim to save you money?

All companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that earns them a profit. For example, a driver they prefer might be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and has great credit. A customer getting a price quote that hits that "sweet spot" will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.

Drivers who are not a match for the requirements will be quoted higher premiums and this can result in the customer not buying. The ad wording is "people who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much money. That's the way companies can advertise the savings.

This emphasizes why drivers should get quotes from several different companies. It's impossible to know which auto insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

Much more information about auto insurance in Illinois can be found on the Illinois Department of Insurance website through this link. Visitors are able to read industry bulletins, report car insurance fraud, and find out industry alerts.

The best insurance company isn't always the cheapest

Drivers switch companies for many reasons like high rates after DUI convictions, lack of trust in their agent, poor customer service and even an unsatisfactory settlement offer. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, finding the right auto insurance provider is less work than it seems.

Budget-conscious auto insurance is available both online as well as from independent agents in Riverside, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who don't offer you the ability to get quotes online and these regional insurance providers work with independent agents.

We covered a lot of techniques to reduce auto insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more price quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers could even find that the lowest rates come from an unexpected company.